Stefano Pilati of YSL defends his work

Jun 3, 2011

In a rare interview, to WWD, designer Stefano Pilati, now in its 11th year at Yves Saint Laurent, has spoken openly about his frustrations on biased critics and living up to Mr Saint Laurent’s legacy. Despite rumours of his departure, earlier this year, the Italian designer remains firm about his job at YSL and speaks proudly of his accomplishments at the legendary French brand. While he never aimed at being better than Yves Saint Laurent himself, he is confident he has found his own self trust.

Pilati insists he has never designed to follow certain trends but rather to illustrate his own ”subtle research, on the edge to the more boring”. He adds: ”When I say boring, in the sense of not flashy ”. When asked about his critics, Pilati says he wishes he could sit down and speak to all those bloggers who simply trash his work without any basis. ”I pay attention to all of them (bloggers) and I am very scared” Pilati adds. ”But who are these bloggers?”. ”I like to have a dialogue…but two ways not one way…”

Speaking of his relationship with the YSL brand, Pilati insists he has managed to find a balance in not being overwhelmed by the heritage of the brand, which he believes is the most elegant in the world. ”I do what I do, because I believe in it”.